Censorship and Sinology in the Era of Chinese Neo-Authoritarianism

Abstract

As China changes, so does Sinology or the study of China. Under President Xi Jinping, China has become more repressive at home and more assertive internationally. These changes are having direct impacts on the Chinese studies community in Australia and beyond, causing scholars to make some difficult decisions about what they say in public, what they choose to study, and how they manage their relationships with colleagues, students, friends and even family members. Similarly, a more authoritarian China brings new pressures to bear on academic institutions that simultaneously seek to uphold academic freedoms while maintaining valued collaborations with Chinese partners. This is not a new problem for the field, but rather one that has become more complex as the geopolitical rivalry between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the West intensifies.